Military families will soon be breathing a sigh of relief as their living situations will be a central focus in upcoming months. Following a 2018 scandal surrounding military family housing and the dangerous living conditions that they were exposed to, the US Army has Approved a $1.1 Billion deal to improve housing conditions at 6 bases. Military.com has reported that military families living in privately managed military homes were exposed to things such as mold, lead paint, faulty wiring and vermin problems; things no homeowner should have to deal with.

If it weren’t for companies like Lendlease, this might continue to be an existing and ongoing problem.  Lendlease, who currently owns and operates multiple military housing units, has partnered with the US Army to own and operate housing on multiple bases. Where there were already plans for a sustainment program, this deal will help to accelerate progress by more than 10 years. 

Places like Fort Campbell and Fort Knox in Kentucky, Fort Wainwright in Alaska, Fort Drum in New York, Army housing on Oahu, Hawaii and Fort Hood, Texas will be seeing significant improvements. Being one of the largest, Fort Hood will be given a large chunk of the investment. Between those bases, this deal will be helping to accelerate “significant improvements” to nearly 12,000 existing homes and pay for the construction of more than 1,200 new homes. On top of that, the Army has also approved additional private-sector funding which will help in renovations of more than 3,500 homes and replacement of an additional 800 homes.

General Ed Daly is quoted saying “Under the guidance of Army senior leaders to ensure readiness of our force and quality of life for soldiers and their families, we have reached an extraordinary milestone with Lendlease. This additional investment will go a long way in improving the quality of homes for soldiers and their families.” This is a huge moment for military families as they deserve to be living in ideal conditions. Here is to hoping that this becomes and remains the standard for military housing as the years go on.  

SOURCE: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/01/27/army-approves-billion-dollar-deal-improve-housing-conditions-6-bases.html

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